Miliband mission to bring Syria out of diplomatic cold

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is due to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday in the latest stage of a visit to the Middle East which has already involved talks with senior figures in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Mr Miliband is the most senior British politician to visit Damascus since 2001, when Tony Blair was embarrassed as Mr Assad used a joint press conference to praise Palestinian militants.

Thawing relations: Syrian Assistant Foreign Minister Abdel Fatah Amura looks on as visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband eats an ice cream in the old quarter of Damascus

The talks represent a testing of the water over whether Syria is ready to engage more closely with the West following a period of international isolation because of its links to militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, its alleged involvement in the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri and its close diplomatic ties with Iran.

The declining intensity of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, which Syria had been accused of fuelling, coupled with the impending arrival at the White House of President-elect Barack Obama, who has made clear his readiness for dialogue with Washington's enemies, are thought to make the time ripe for putting out diplomatic feelers.Mr Miliband said that Damascus had a choice to make between being a force for stability or instability in the Middle East.

Mr Miliband told the BBC: 'I think it is very important to understand that Syria has a big potential role to play in stability in the Middle East. It can be a force for stability or it can be a force for instability.

'Over the last 18 months, I have been talking with the Syrian Foreign Minister about Syria's responsibilities in the region in respect of counter-terrorism, in respect of Iraq, in respect of the Middle East peace process, and I have got the chance now to take these discussions further forward. That's what I am doing here.'

Mr Miliband said the last year had seen "some important signs" that Syria wants to change its ways in order to end its international isolation.

The Foreign Secretary told the BBC: "Syria certainly has had some big questions to answer about the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, about the situation in Lebanon, about its contribution to the stability of the region.

"We have been taking up these issues and I think there have been some important signs over the last year or so of Syria understanding the degree of concern and seeking to change some of its actions.

"I think it is very important that we continue to engage with countries like Syria, which wants to be a secular state at the heart of a stable Middle East and try to explain how it can play a big role in fostering that sort of stability."

Mr Miliband said better relations with Damascus could form part of the comprehensive settlement which Britain wants to see in the Middle East.

"I think a secure and stable Israel is an important foundation of peace and stability in the Middle East. So is a Palestinian state," he said.

"Our argument all along has been that there needs to be a comprehensive approach to this region. Israel and all the Arab states need to find a way of living together.

"Compromises and decisions need to be made locally, but the international community - of which Britain is an important part - has a role to play."